News for the over 40 crowd..

Urinary Incontinence in Women

Don’t panic if suddenly when you sneeze, laugh or cough you feel a little trickle. This does not mean that you are losing your ability to control your bladder or that – heaven forbid – you are getting old. This is a problem that approximately 19 million people have and the ages range from young to older.

Of the 19 million people who suffer from this malady, 80% are female. However, men do suffer from incontinence as well. The makeup of the body is probably the reason more women than men have this disorder.

Urinary incontinence can be caused by many things. Some of the reasons for this problem are as follows:

* Chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, birth defects, nervous system disorders and spinal cord injuries.
* Bladder infections, urinary tract infections, or constipation.
* Loss of muscle control due to strokes and spinal cord injuries.
* Medication related.
* Surgery, radiation, or cryotherapy.
If this has become a problem you should seek the advice of your physician to find out exactly what the cause may be. It may be a short term temporary problem or a chronic problem, but either way it bears thoroughly checking out.

The thing that bothers most people is the embarrassment of an accident when they are out in public. Adult underwear for incontinence can be worn when going out for peace of mind. Adult underwear has come a long way and is not the bulky adult diaper that you envision. They are basically just like underwear and no one will even know you are wearing them.

A total loss of control when it comes to urinating is very rare. This is normally only caused by either a severe defect which was present at birth, or an injury. There are people who suffer from dementia who may lose control of their bladder at night. It can be the result of having an illness such as Alzheimer’s.

Incontinence can be caused by some medications, which cause the muscles to relax. Or the medicine may cause the signals to get crossed and the brain may not get the message from the bladder that it needs to be emptied. This can be remedied by your doctor who may be able to prescribe a different medication that will not cause this reaction.

We have all heard the horror stories about older women losing control of their bladder later in life due to having given birth. But it does not have to be this way and women no longer need to suffer in silence, embarrassed to tell anyone.

Regardless of the reason, the best way to find out what is causing this problem is to consult your doctor. They will listen to your symptoms and may run tests to determine what is causing the incontinence. They do have options for treatment that don’t necessarily include surgery.